NCAA & NJCAA OTF National Athletes of the Week (May 4)
NEW ORLEANS – National Athletes of the Week for May 4 were announced on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Here are those individuals who earned national honors from the USTFCCCA for their efforts during the continuing outdoor track & field season.
NCAA Division I Men – Turner Washington, Arizona State
NCAA Division I Women – Tara Davis, Texas
NCAA Division II Men – Isaac Harding, Grand Valley State
NCAA Division II Women – Chelsea Walker, Christian Bros.
NCAA Division III Men – Jayden Sloan, McMurry
NCAA Division III Women – Emily Pomainville, SUNY Geneseo
Azusa Pacific continues to headline the National TFRI after claiming the PacWest Championship, notching numerous new or improved season bests in the process.
Elle Alexander picked up two of them herself in the discus (No. 3, 53.68m/176-2) and hammer throw (No. 9, 57.44m/188-6). Other top performers for the Cougars were
Jaylah Walker in the 100H (No. 7, 13.86) and
Nicole Warwick in the long jump (No. 8, 6.08m/19-11½). Walker also ran the second leg of the 4×100 that is now ranked No. 2 (45.34).
No. 2
Grand Valley State hosted the GVSU Extra Weekend Meet and picked up a handful of season bests.
Judith Essemiah extended her national lead in the event to 64.21m (210-8) to become the No. 6 performer all-time in NCAA DII. Adding a new nationally ranked performance for the Lakers was
Wartburg is the No. 1 team during the outdoor season for the first time in program history. The Knights turned in a plethora of solid performances this past weekend that resulted in six new or improved national top-10 marks: Dallas Wright is No. 2 in the 400 at 47.39; Matt Heinzman is No. 3 in the 1500 at 3:50.15; Christopher Collett and Curren Matthais are now both ranked in the top-10 of the steeplechase at No. 4 and No. 8, respectively; Deyton Love is up to No. 4 in the 110H at 14.44; the 4×100 relay is now ranked third nationally at 40.97.
UW-La Crosse dropped one spot to No. 2 to no fault of its own. The Eagles chipped in three new or improved national top-10 marks, including an overall national lead in the 4×100 relay at 40.48. UW-La Crosse is also strong in the 4×400 relay, coming in ranked sixth at 3:14.02.
No. 1 Grand Valley State jumped four spots back into the driver’s seat. The Lakers’ haul came in the 5000 from the trio of
Isaac Harding (No. 1, 13:43.97),
Enael Woldemichael (No. 4, 13:47.08) and
Tanner Chada (No. 6, 13:47.99) with their performances at the GVSU Extra Weekend Meet.
Mules Kerner also cracked the top-10 in the shot put to land at No. 9 (18.17m/59-7½).
Ashland held steady at No. 2 for the third straight week. The Eagles sent a small contingent to the Hillsdale Outdoor Tune-Up, where season best efforts in the discus came from
Noah Koch (No. 6, 56.03m/183-10) and
Alex Hill (No. 7, 55.40m/181-9).
No. 3
UW-La Crosse bolstered its position atop the National TFRI thanks to some strong efforts at the Wartburg Outdoor Friday Night Lights. The Eagles hit a national-leading mark in the 4×100 relay at 46.36, the third-fastest mark in the 4×400 relay at 3:46.66 and the third-fastest mark in the 100H from Emma Lawrence at 14.10.
Loras held steady at No. 3, right behind No. 2
Ithaca. The Duhawks soared at the Wartburg Outdoor Friday Night Lights, as they received a national-leading mark from Terrianna Black in the triple jump at 12.28m (40-3½) and saw their 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams snag national top-3 marks themselves (No. 2 for the latter; No. 3 for the former).